THE UPPERCASE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF INSPIRATION
Beautiful Books to Inspire, Inform and Delight
At one time, encyclopedias were venerated as ultimate sources of knowledge. People saw the value in investing in these massive multi-volume sets, ordered through the post or from a door-to-door salesman, and they enjoyed the convenience and status of having a reference section in the comfort of their living room. Acquiring an encyclopedia was a commitment to education and learning.
These days, we have an overload of information at our fingertips and there is no shortage of visual inspiration for creatives. But as makers, we yearn for the tangible. And we crave high-quality content that is lovingly curated instead of coming to us in random or algorithmic bits.
Coveting, owning and holding a beautiful and informative ink-on-paper inspiring tome… now that’s something that's worth experiencing!
Since 2016, UPPERCASE has produced
13 gorgeous volumes, totalling 5,696 pages.
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This offer excludes the not-yet-released reprint, Quilted.
A growing encyclopedia
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TEN YEARS AND COUNTING
The UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration is an ongoing series of books, released in whimsical (non-alphabetical) order, on all manner of creative and curious topics. The first volume, Feed Sacks, was released in 2016.
CREATIVE AND CURIOUS
The ethos of the Encyclopedia of Inspiration series is that all volumes are of interest to creative and curious people—we are multi-passionate and find inspiration in all variety of topics, artistic mediums and creative expressions. It is precisely this diversity of topics, eclectic content and interesting juxtapositions that make the series so inspiring!
Quality
Books in the Encyclopedia of Inspiration are beautifully printed in Canada on 100% post-consumer recycled paper stock (interior pages). They come with a belly band and a dust jacket that can be folded to reveal one of four different designs—a feature that has become a signature of this book series.
Independent
UPPERCASE is an independent publisher. Our books are not available in big box stores or on Amazon. We do not have a book distributor in North America and the majority of our book sales are made directly via our online shop.
Reader-Supported
When you order a book, you're supporting the many months (years, sometimes!) of work required to make these books: curating, writing, editing, designing, prepress, printing—each of these stages is a vital part of the process. Pre-ordering forthcoming books helps fund these stages along the way and ensures that the book has an appreciative audience waiting for its release.
Proven
UPPERCASE (Janine Vangool) has a proven track record of getting things done, beautifully and as promised!
The magazine has been published consistently every quarter since 2009.
Thirteen volumes of the Encyclopedia have been released since 2016.
We can ship internationally to the UK, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.
If you're in the UK, though, please consider ordering from Central Books in London.
REPRINTED MARCH 2026
Volume Q: Quilted
Click on the cover to look inside!
Volume Q: Quilted
From Pattern to Patchwork
The world of quilting is vast, with an infinite range of aesthetics, influences, heritage and culture. Quilting reminds us of the artistry and ingenuity of our ancestors and allows us to explore our natural creativity. The craft slows us down in an ever-busy world and connects us to a welcoming community of kindred spirits.
With in-depth profiles and stories of individual quilts (384 pages!), this book pieces together quilters from professional connections and friendships that I've made over my years of publishing UPPERCASE magazine and designing three fabric collections for Windham Fabrics.
released october 2025
Volume G: Glue
Volume G: Glue
Collage, Assemblage & Other Sticky Pursuits
Volume G: Glue features 46 artists, designers and craftspeople who use collage and assemblage in their work.
This is a colourful and uplifting volume that explores a variety of mediums and methods.
perennial favourite!
Volume B: Botanica
Botanica is Volume B in the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration. Originally published in 2017, the first print run sold out quickly. A reprint in 2020 sold out and we're bringing back this perennial favourite for November 2024.
448 pages ✿ 1000 images
This is UPPERCASE's most beloved book!
Reprinted November 2023
Volume E: Ephemera
A beloved volume!
Ephemera is Volume E in the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration. This 448-page book features gorgeous and inspiring collections of vintage ephemera along with profiles of 30 creatives who make art and business through their collections. Collage artists, illustrators, type designers, graphic designers, creative entrepreneurs and more! It has a dust jacket that can be folded to reveal one of four designs. Or you can use the dust jacket as gift wrap, collage or for another creative project.
RELEASED october 2024
Volume N: Notions
The 12th volume in the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration is Notions.
Notions will celebrate the remarkable, practical and nostalgic tools and accessories of sewing. With sewing stories and miscellany from textile artists, fabric designers, quilt pattern makers, quilt shop owners, haberdashers, inventors and entrepreneurs, Volume N in the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration will be an entertaining and illuminating A to Z of sewing miscellany.
RELEASED JUNE 2022
Volume A: Art Supplies
The 10th volume in the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration is all about Art Supplies: the provenance, lore and enduring appeal of art-making ingredients, materials and accessories told through profiles of artists, artisans and manufacturers (independent makers and venerable brands with historical legacies).
Lushly illustrated through photography and artwork, this exuberant edition is a must-have volume.
RELEASED JUNE 2023
Volume R: Rag & Pulp
For artists, crafters, designers and writers, paper is integral to everything we make—it serves as the foundation of our ideas. It's the substrate upon which our thoughts and talents are made visible. But paper is also a means of expression in itself: unique papers are made by hand with innovative and natural materials, artistic techniques like marbling paint its surface, manipulation creates texture and sculptural forms, and through manual and mechanical processes, designers create decorative papers that bring pattern to our daily lives.
Through beautiful imagery and inspiring stories and interviews, Rag & Pulp explores the diversity of contemporary papermakers, manufacturers and artists, all of whom use and elevate paper from a blank white sheet into something uniquely marvellous and expressive.
Previous volumes in the Encyclopedia of inspiration
Feed Sacks (2016, reissued through Martingale 2019), Botanica (2017, reprinted 2020, 2024), Stitchillo (2017, reprinted 2021), Print/Maker (2018, reprinted October 2022), Ephemera (2019, reprinted 2023), Vintage Life (2019), Quilted (2019, reprinting in 2026), Ceramics (2020), Yarn-Thread-String (2021), Art Supplies (June 2022), Rag & Pulp (June 2023), Notions (October 2024), Glue (October 2025).